More than 500 employees sent a letter Friday to senior management, asking the company to no longer do business with BCFS. They also asked Wayfair to establish a code of ethics that “empowers Wayfair and its employees to act in accordance with our core values.” CNN has seen a copy of the email sent by employees to Wayfair senior management.
“The United States government and its contractors are responsible for the detention and mistreatment of hundreds of thousands of migrants seeking asylum in our country — we want that to end,” the employees said in the letter. “We also want to be sure that Wayfair has no part in enabling, supporting, or profiting from this practice.”
Wayfair management responded in a letter to employees, also obtained by CNN, saying it still plans to do business with BCFS.
“As a retailer, it is standard practice to fulfill orders for all customers and we believe it is our business to sell to any customer who is acting within the laws of the countries within which we operate,” the Wayfair’s leadership team said in the letter. “This does not indicate support for the opinions or actions of the groups or individuals who purchase from us.”
Wayfair has not yet responded to CNN’s request for comment.
Wayfair employees announced on Twitter their plan to stage a walkout Wednesday afternoon in response to the company letter. The Wayfair employee who spoke to CNN said the walkout is “not meant as a censure on Wayfair,” but as a way to show workers’ continued concern.
News of the walkout attracted ire from other Twitter users, who expressed their displeasure with the company through the hashtag #wayfairwalkout. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a Democrat from New York, called the walkout “what solidarity looks like.”
Wayfair’s stock dropped 5% on Tuesday. Shares are up about 60% this year.
This is not the first time US businesses have been ensnared in controversy about the Trump administration’s immigration policy.
